Monday, February 27, 2012

SHORT FEATURE: MOVIE: THE MOVIE

It probably won’t surprise anyone that the best thing about the Academy Awards last night wasn’t actually on the Academy Awards, but happened a little later. (For my Baptist readers, be warned, this has an ad for vodka preceding the clip. For my Catholic readers, sit back and have a drink, the clip starts in about 60…)

If only this were real, it might just be the movie that would make me willing to shell out 30 bucks for tickets and snacks and the opportunity to sit in an auditorium full a bunch of attention deficit teens armed with cell phones.

Now some might say there’s just too many genres represented in Movie: The Movie, too which I could only respond, “Please, I’m a Bible reader.” You see, while a lot of people who never actually crack open the good book think of it as nothing more than a big “how to” manual, the fact is the Bible is an assortment of books collected over centuries containing a myriad of genres.

Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. breaks them down this way:

Major Genres within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament):

Foundational Myths & Legends - stories about the origins of the world, the first generations of humans, or the early years of a nation, intended to provide a foundational world-view upon which people base their communal and individual lives (Gen, parts of Exod, Num, Deut)

Legal Codes - collections of laws and instructions by which the people are to live (Lev, parts of Exod, Num, Deut)

Genealogies - lists of inter-relationships between peoples, either of successive generations or of different nations (parts of Gen, much of Num)

Annals - semi-historical narrative accounts of select events in a nation's life, focusing especially upon political and military exploits of its leaders, since usually written under royal sponsorship (Josh, Jdg, 1 & 2 Sam, 1 & 2 Kings, etc.)

Prophetic Books - collections of the oracles or words of God spoken to the people through human intermediaries (prophets) and the symbolic actions they perform at God's direction for the people's benefit (Isa, Jer, Ezek, etc.)

Acts - a partial narrative account about the beginnings and the growth of early Christianity; not a complete history of the early Church, since it focuses only on the actions of a few missionary leaders (Acts)

The above lists are not comprehensive, but include only the more prominent categories of biblical literature.

So, pretty much something for everyone no matter what their taste (though, to be honest, most of the good sex and violence is located in the Annals). So the next time you’re in the mood for something specific, don’t rule out the Bible. It’s got you covered.

4 comments:

"...the Bible is an assortment of books collected... containing a myriad of genres.Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. breaks them down this way..."

Hmm--might be an inspiration here for structuring a media website (or somethin'...) At least if I had the time and/or money for such an endeavor. (Who knows? I may yet win the Powerball [or somethin'...])

Y'know, in an *oblique* sense, *something* or other about this outline makes me think about the ending of "Fahrenheit 451."